Inclusive innovation must be part of a new social contract
Innovation has delivered great social and economic benefits and is necessary to address Canada’s grand challenges, ranging from climate change to opioid addiction to food security. But Ottawa has struggled for decades with how best to encourage innovation. At the same time, innovation is seen as a key contributor to many of the global environmental […]
Understanding IP and data key skills for leaders in the intangible economy
Generating and protecting data and intellectual property (IP) are critical to business success in today’s innovation and data-driven economy. Today, more than 90 per cent of the value of the S&P 500 is intangible assets. Increasingly then, company value rests in IP and other intangible assets rather than in tangibles like real estate or machinery […]
Whither science in the Canadian ministry?
With the elimination of the standalone science minister in the Trudeau administration, some in the research community have expressed concern that this has downgraded the future of science and its clout within government. But it is worth remembering that science and its constituency have always had continuous partial attention in the cabinet. Almost half a […]
Innovation
Privacy and data should be a top priority for ‘energetic’ Innovation Minister Bains, say experts
Tackling privacy and data issues should be a key priority for Innovation, Science, and Industry Minister Navdeep Bains as the Liberal government seeks to demonstrate how the newly rejigged department can help individual Canadians, say lobbyists, former departmental officials, and policy experts. But some experts are questioning what role Mr. Bains (Mississauga-Malton, Ont.) and the […]
Innovation, security will decide if 2020 is a year of fear or hope
There has been considerable speculation recently as to what life may be like for Canadians as we head into 2020, and beyond. Amplified by the perceptual effects of a turning decade, a palpable amount of political turmoil in world capitals, and incessant threats to our personal information, many are feeling uneasy. To better theorize about […]
‘Still a mess, still needs a lot of work’: Shared Services Canada gets new master under digital government minister
With the responsibility for Shared Services Canada now squarely under Minister of Digital Government Joyce Murray, PIPSC president Debi Daviau says the move seems like “a natural progression towards trying to get a handle on the government of Canada’s IT systems, which everybody knows could really use the attention.” “From my perspective, overall what Shared […]
Leave politics out of decision about Huawei’s 5G future in Canada
For some time, I have noticed that Huawei’s 5G has been a hot topic of discussion in Canadian media recently. There are different opinions across Canada about whether Huawei should be allowed to participate in Canada’s 5G network construction or not. In my opinion, 5G development, utilization, and co-operation should not be politicized. Huawei is […]
Why Canada needs to take the plunge on AI
Canada has received acclaim around the world for supporting researchers, like Dr. Jeffery Hinton, who pioneered the deep learning approaches that have led to an explosion in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Accenture estimates AI has the potential to double economic growth rates by 2035, and in the private sector, we are witnessing tremendous adoption of […]
Premiers’ nuclear announcement a potential boon, but issues remain: experts
Canadian nuclear energy experts say the recent announcement by three provincial premiers of plans to develop small and modular nuclear reactor technology, which could provide large amounts of greenhouse gas-free electricity, but one environmental expert says serious issues with the technology remain. On Dec. 1, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, and New […]
